One of my regrets from last year’s Fantastic Fest was that I never reviewed The History of Future Folk, a comedy/musical about a couple of aliens doing time as an NYC folk music duo as they try to make their way back home. As a long-time fan of the band Man… Or Astro-Man?, which plays surf-punk in the guise of a group of aliens that crash-landed on Earth, I figured that The History of Future Folk would be able to push my buttons pretty easily.

What I found was something better: a gentle and smart film that mines great jokes from the alienation of being a genuine alien, and which tackles relationships and family issues just as easily as it crafts catchy songs.

Not to give too much away, there’s Bill (Nils d’Aulaire), an alien from the planet Hondo, who went native after landing on Earth, taking a wife and fathering a daughter. An ambitious assassin, Kevin (Jay Klaitz), arrives from Hondo to coerce Bill into fulfilling his original mission, and Bill does his best to show Kevin what Earth is all about. The first trailer has been released, and you should check it out below. Read More »